• Friday, March 29, 2024

Coronavirus

Pakistan reports over 1,400 COVID-19 cases; Punjab the new epicentre 

People queue to buy wheat bags at a government food distribution point during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Multan on March 28, 2020. (Photo by SHAHID SAEED MIRZA/AFP via Getty Images)

By: Pramod Thomas

THE COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Saturday (28) reached 1,408, including 11 deaths.

The Punjab province in the country is now emerging as the new epicentre of the deadly viral infection.

Punjab recorded a total of 490 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, up from 419 cases on Friday.

The number surpassed Sindh’s tally of 457 cases. Sindh was the province, which reported Pakistan’s first coronavirus case.

Of the 490 cases in Punjab, the highest number of 207 were reported from Dera Ghazi Khan district.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 180 cases, Balochistan registered 133, Gilgit-Baltistan recorded 107 cases, while it was 39 in Islamabad and 2 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the ministry said.

Twenty-five people have recovered so far, it said.

Punjab chief minister Buzdar tweeted that a 22-year-old COVID-19 patient died in Faisalabad, taking the total number of deaths due to the disease in the province to five.

Meanwhile, Health Advisor Zafar Mirza said a team of eight Chinese doctors will arrive in Pakistan to review the steps taken by the government to combat coronavirus outbreak.

They will share their experience with local doctors.

Seven of the totals infected are in a critical condition, the Health Ministry said.

Most of the infected people had returned from Iran, where the confirmed cases are over 30,000 with more than 2,300 deaths.

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